6:45 pm, its dark and cold outside walking up to the doors and opening them revealed a new place not as familiar as earlier hours, people scurrying around covered in sweat and filled with determination after a hard day put in at the office the work crowd is at the gym. Shoulder to shoulder standing on machines and benches, heart rates up and gazing around the room for the next available machine to open up so that the workout can continue. Angry face Mohawk man pedals madly on a recumbent bike and the movie Batman pops into my head as I think "Why so serious?" and onto my stationary bike I go. Plug in and press the quick start button, level 11 for 20 minutes and off to the races it is, I notice there are more people than I have ever seen in there at one time as I catch a woman on an arc-trainer looking into my direction as she begins her workout.

Scanning around I look for Wify but can't find her among the crowd and on I go pedaling, 20 minutes comes fast and off of the bike I step. Head over to the cleaning station to grab a paper towel to wipe down the bike but the mature woman in front of me grabbed the bottle to spray her machine down instead of spraying the towel and wiping so I follow her and ask "Can I get a squirt?" to which she replies "Where do ya want it hon?" a smile and a quick squirt later an empty arc-trainer is spotted and off I go again. Stepping around a small gathering of young girls loitering in the isle between the arc-trainers and the ellipticals I notice another lady eyeing my arc-trainer but I make it there in time to claim the machine, a short stretch, 20 minutes set into the quick start and within a few seconds I spot wify on some strength machines across the gym.

Giant arm tiny leg guy was there as was intense runner guy who puts the treadmill at an extreme incline and does sprints at a very high speed, though A.D.D. girl was not anywhere to be found a plethora of others were. A 10 minute cool down walk on the treadmill at 3.0 MPH on a 3.5% incline ended the night and my workout was complete for the evening, Wify completed her workout and we headed home.

Something interesting occured to me shortly after leaving, I was comfortable, not comfortable in the way a person gets because they have to pretend to be but comfortable because I was, I belonged there and the fact that it was wall to wall people most seemingly more fit than me didn't matter one bit and I did what I needed to do and did not think twice about anything. This is so opposite my initial gym expectations and in such a short time that I would reccomend that anyone who is hesitant about joining a gym because of atmosphere variables not be, no one cares about anyone else or what they are doing and if they do its kept to themselves because if a 330 pound guy can go wild on an arc-trainer and feel fully comfortable about it in a gym full of people anyone can.

I have to wonder if I am "goin wild on the arc trainer fat dude" to anyone?

This is my groove, I will not leave it.

As Ever
Me